Boy A (2007)
88%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Small in scale but large in impact, Boy A’s career making performances (particularly that by star Andrew Garfield) and carefully crafted characters defy judgment and aggressively provoke debate
Boy A” is a movie that will make you feel sympathy for the devil, or at least for the main character Jack. Andrew Garfield’s performance is so good that you’ll forget he’s Spider-Man. The movie is a bit slow at times, but it’s worth it to see Jack’s physical and mental dislocation. Overall, “Boy A” is a haunting drama that challenges the limits of redemption and forgiveness. It’s a thought-provoking movie that avoids exploitation while never soft-selling its thorny subject matter. So, grab some popcorn and get ready to ponder whether outrage might also have a statute of limitations.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures,
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2007
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 39m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 7, 2008
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Katie Lyons, Shaun Evans, Jeremy Swift, Anthony Lewis, Lynn Horsford, directed by John Crowley, written by Mark O’Rowe, drama, R rating, box office gross $106.4K, reviewed by David Fear, Owen Gleiberman, Amy Biancolli, Christy DeSmith, Kamal Al-Solaylee, J R Jones, Joanne Laurier, Kelly Jane Torrance, Nick Rogers, Jeff Vice, MaryAnn Johanson, forgiveness, guilt, second chance, child killer, juvenile detention center, deliveryman, local celebrity, newspaper, safety of children, Manchester, England, provocative, career-making performances, carefully crafted characters, small in scale, large in impact, anchored performance, sympathetic character, thought-provoking, intriguing, contrived conclusion, complex ideas
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Peter Mullan – Terry
Katie Lyons – Michelle
Shaun Evans – Chris
Jeremy Swift – Dave
Anthony Lewis – Steve
Director(s)
John Crowley
Writer(s)
Mark O’Rowe
Producer(s)
Lynn Horsford
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (59) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (7)
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
David Fear
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
It makes us feel sympathy for the devil.
September 12, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Director John Crowley, a veteran Irish theater director now working in film, is deliberate with every last element of his film.
September 5, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Christy DeSmith
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Even its structurally weaker moments give Garfield an opportunity to expand on Jack’s physical and mental dislocation. Given Boy A’s final floating reel, it’s an anchoring performance in every sense of the word.
August 29, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
The movie is taut with suspense but culminates in wise resignation as the hero comes to understand he’s running from a part of himself.
August 12, 2008
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Overall, the film is very strong and compassionate.
September 2, 2020
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
Those behind Boy A invite us to ponder whether outrage might also have a statute of limitations.
December 13, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times
Andrew Garfield nailed an assignment many actors would avoid or, worse, botch in “Boy A” – embody a grown, traumatized man experiencing emotional honesty, transparent kindness, sexual intimacy and genuine appreciation from others for the first time.
September 25, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap
The material is thought-provoking and features some very good performances.
October 23, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Jeff Vice
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
The limits of redemption and forgiveness get challenged ruthlessly in this haunting drama…
October 21, 2008
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
Efficiently directed by John Crowley, Boy A avoids exploitation while never soft-selling its thorny subject matter.
October 17, 2008 | Rating: B+
Stan Hall
Oregonian…
Plot
After being released from a juvenile detention center, convicted child killer Jack Burridge tries to start a new life as a deliveryman and begins dating a co-worker, but his past is revealed when he becomes a local hero after rescuing a distressed child.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Boy A on Fresh Kernels.
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